South Bend Tribune: WSBT-TV pulls Indiana MoveOn ad slamming Chocola

WSBT-TV pulls ad slamming Chocola
Edited version of PAC's commercial could replace it, station president says.
JAMES WENSITS
Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- WSBT-TV has stopped running a new ad targeting U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola because of "misleading" content, station president and general manager John Mann said Thursday.

Mann left open the possibility that an edited version of the MoveOn.org commercial could resume airing once negotiations are complete, but said the station will make no decision to do so "until we see the finished product."...

***

The ads, which began airing earlier this week on South Bend area stations, including WSBT-TV, accuse Chocola of being "caught red-handed" accepting money from political organizations representing defense contractors and then opposing penalties for contractors who overcharge the military.

Supporting documents supplied by MoveOn.org, a Washington, D.C., political action group, state Chocola has accepted a total of $5,750 from various PACs representing defense contractors over the past six years....(E)arlier ads criticized Chocola in connection with contributions received from organizations with ties to pharmaceutical and oil companies.

Mann said that the previous commercials were "absolutely documentable" and didn't cross the line. "This one crossed it," he said....

http://southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060609/News01/606090339

The people of Indiana are only allowed to see the news that is beneficial to them...no need for them to get stressed out separating fact from fiction, when the media can do that for them.

Somehow, I don't find that comforting... :thumbsdown:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2329973

Looks like a concerted hit on MoveOn

These MOFO's had NO TROUBLE with the anti-Kerry Swiftboat ads being aired.

:argh:

We are amazed but not amused
By all the things you say that you'll do
Though much concerned but not involved
With decisions that are made by you

But we are sick and tired of hearing your song
Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
"You haven't done nothing"!

It's not too cool to be ridiculed
But you brought this upon yourself
The world is tired of pacifiers
We want the truth and nothing else

And we are sick and tired of hearing your song
Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
"You haven't done nothing"!

We would not care to wake up to the nightmare
That's becoming real life
But when mislead who knows a person's mind
Can turn as cold as ice un hum

Why do you keep on making us hear your song
Telling us how you are changing right from wrong
'Cause if you really want to hear our views
"You haven't done nothing"!
Yeah

" You Haven't Done Nothin' "
http://www.lyricstime.com/stevie-wonder-you-haven-t-done-nothin-lyrics.html

I don't know if this is still true or if it was ever, but I think the South Bend Tribune (SBT) and WSBT-TV are or were owned by the same people.

Who knows, the town I grew up in (about 15 miles from South Bend) was called "The Elkhart Truth" :shrug:

Edit to add this from WSBT FAQ: <http://www.wsbt.com/about>

What is the difference between WSBT and the South Bend Tribune?
The WSBT Stations and the South Bend Tribune are both owned by Schurz Communications. As such, NEWS22 and the Tribune will often work together on covering big stories. However, each staff is fully independent of the other.

How do I contact a member of the NEWS22 team?
You can read about your favorite news team member and send e-mail to them through the Meet Our Team section of this website, or you can send mail to:

NEWS22
300 West Jefferson Boulevard
South Bend, IN 46601-1513
Attn: (Reporter/Anchor’s name)

I have exchanged several messages with John Mann (President & General Manager of WSBT-TV) on this subject.

At the outset, I want to appreciate the fact that Mr. Mann took the time to respond to my questions. (Many people in his position would not bother.) In the end, however, he steadfastly refused to address my concerns.

From the start, my question to him was this: Can you document cases in which WSBT has denied air time to commercials created by Republican or other conservative organizations?

This is his response: "WSBT does not and has not ever denied paid air time to any political group or organization."

As you can see, his answer is not responsive to my question. Inadvertently, however, he did provide an answer elsewhere in one of his messages: "I would make the same decision if an equally misleading ad was presented from the 'other side.'"

From inference, I can say that WSBT has never rejected an ad from a Republican or other right-wing organizations.

Mr. Mann does not understand--or refuses to acknowledge--how his decisions affect freedom of speech: "The Move.On ad WSBT rejected did not meet our standards. It is and was not a matter of censorship. It is a matter of standards and practices. I don’t position myself arbiter of truth however I am responsible for maintaining one standard regarding commercial announcements on WSBT."

When I asked for specifics about the "standards" that led to the suppression of the MoveOn ad, however, Mr. Mann did not respond.

I want to repeat one of my favorite thoughts about freedom of the press: "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one."

My thanks to A. J. Liebling.

on your first DU post! WELCOME!!!

http://www.tray.com/cgi-win/x_allindiv.exe

The family of the privately held Schurz Communications, which owns WTSB, contributed over $ 27,000 to the GOP in 2004...

They have already contributed $3,000 for the 2006 election cycle....

By the Way...

They also own the South Bend Tribune.......

of the type of main stream media corporatist control all have been talking about for a while now. It really is the death knell for american democracy.

adios republic